By Associated Press - Thursday, March 25, 2021

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A man who allegedly shot his girlfriend to death on a New Haven street and then drove off with their child in the car told police he just “snapped,” according to his arrest warrant.

Rashod Newton, 27, of Wallingford, was arrested Monday in the death of 28-year-old Alessia Mesquita.

According to an arrest warrant released Wednesday, Newton told police that he and Mesquita had argued and he “snapped” and opened fire after she tried to take their 1-year-old child.

Mesquita was shot four times and was pronounced dead. Newton was arrested after driving around the city pursued by detectives, the New Haven Register reports. The child was unharmed, officials said.

Newton was arraigned Wednesday and ordered held in lieu of a $3 million bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court April 6.

In addition to the murder charge, Newton faces charges of criminal possession of a firearm and risk of injury to a minor. A message seeking comment was left with the public defender’s office on Thursday.

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